Young Guns II#Sequel

In 1950, attorney Charles Phalen is contacted by elderly "Brushy Bill" Roberts, who seeks a pardon he was promised 70 years earlier by the governor of the New Mexico Territory. Dismissing Bill's claim that he is really William H. Bonney aka "Billy The Kid", widely believed to have been killed in 1881, Phalen asks if Bill has any proof.

Bill's story begins in 1879, as the famed outlaw has formed a new gang with "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh and Pat Garrett. In the wake of the Lincoln County War, New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace has issued warrants for the arrest of everyone involved. Billy's former compatriot Doc Scurlock, now a schoolteacher in New York, is captured and imprisoned alongside fellow Regulator Jose Chavez y Chavez and their old enemies.

Now the most wanted man in New Mexico, Billy meets with Governor Wallace, who agrees to pardon him if he testifies against the Dolan-Murphy faction. Instead, Billy discovers he has been tricked into being arrested with no chance of testifying. He escapes, returning with Dave and Garrett and posing as a lynch mob to free Doc and Chavez, who reluctantly join them on the "Mexican Blackbird" trail to Mexico. Desperate for reinforcements, the gang accepts farmer Hendry William French and teenage Yankee Tom O'Folliard, while Garrett decides to stay behind to open a boarding house.

Billy demands a $500 debt from former ally John Chisum, leaving two of the cattle baron's men dead. Furious, Chisum joins Wallace and they offer Garrett the job of Lincoln County sheriff and $1000 to hunt Bonney down. Forming a posse, Garrett recruits a journalist to document their pursuit. Billy leaves a taunting message for Garrett, and Rudabaugh tries to dig up an Apache burial ground, resulting in a knife fight with the Mexican-Indian Chavez.

Billy and the gang reach the town of White Oaks, spending the night at a bordello run by his former companion Jane Greathouse. A lynch mob gathers, and Deputy Carlyle offers to let the gang go in exchange for handing over Chavez, but Billy dresses the deputy as Chavez and pushes him outside, where he is shot dead by the mob. Garrett tracks the gang to the bordello and burns it down, while Jane strips naked to humiliate the townsfolk and rides away.

The gang is followed closely by Garrett's posse and Tom is shot dead by Garrett, leading Billy to admit that the Mexican Blackbird was only a ruse to keep the gang together. Doc tries to leave for home, but is shot by one of Garrett's men and sacrifices himself to enable his friends to escape, though Chavez is wounded and Billy is captured. Brought back to Lincoln, Billy is sentenced to death and is visited by Jane. She leaves him a pistol in the outhouse, which he uses to kill two guards and escape to Fort Sumner.

Billy finds his gang, but Dave has fled for Mexico, and a dying Chavez leaves to meet his fate alone. That night, an unarmed Billy is confronted by Garrett, and asks to be allowed to run to Mexico while Garrett tells the authorities that he killed him. Certain that Billy would not be able to resist coming back to the United States, Garrett refuses, and prepares to shoot Billy in the back. In the morning, a burial is held for Billy, but Garrett's horse is taken by an unseen figure.

Back in 1950, Brushy Bill concludes his story, convincing Phalen that he is Billy the Kid. An epilogue reveals that Dave was beheaded in Mexico as a warning to other outlaws; Garrett's book was a failure and he was shot and killed in 1908; Brushy Bill met with the governor of New Mexico, but despite corroboration from several surviving friends of the Kid, he was discredited and died less than a month later; whether or not he was Billy the Kid remains a mystery.

{{castlist|

• Emilio Estevez as
• William H. "Billy the Kid" Bonney, the leader of the Lincoln County Regulators
• Brushy Bill Roberts, an elderly cowboy claiming to seek a long awaited pardon
• Kiefer Sutherland as Josiah Gordon "Doc" Scurlock, Billy's right hand man in the Regulators
• Lou Diamond Phillips as Jose Chavez y Chavez, the Mexican-Indian member of the Regulators
• Christian Slater as "Arkansas" Dave Rudabaugh, a reckless and racist outlaw who joined the Regulators
• William Petersen as Pat Garrett, the newly appointed Sheriff of Lincoln County
• Alan Ruck as Hendry William French, a composite character loosely based on Henry Brown and Jim French, a farmhand recruited into the Regulators{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
• R. D. Call as D.A. Rynerson
• James Coburn as John Chisum, a wealthy cattle baron that owed Billy the Kid money, but chose to join the House in hunting him down
• Balthazar Getty as Tom O'Folliard, the youngest recruit in the Regulators
• Jenny Wright as Jane Greathouse, owner of the White Oaks bordello
• Jack Kehoe as Ashmun Upson, a journalist Garrett hired to document the pursuit against the Regulators
• Robert Knepper as Deputy Carlyle, a lawman who led the lynch mob in White Oaks
• Tom Kurlander as Deputy Sheriff J.W. Bell, a Lincoln county lawman who kept tabs on Billy the Kid prior to his escape
• Viggo Mortensen as John W. Poe
• Tracey Walter as Beever Smith
• Brad Whitford as Charles Phalen
• Scott Wilson as Governor Lew Wallace, incumbent Governor of New Mexico
• Leon Rippy as Deputy Sheriff Bob Olinger, a disgruntled Lincoln County deputy who oversaw Regulator members being locked away
• Howie Young as Poe Posse
• Richard Schiff as Rat Bag
• Ginger Lynn as Dove

}}

Jon Bon Jovi briefly appears in a nonspeaking role as a bandit who attempts escaping during the prison scene.{{cite web|url=https://moviehole.net/how-jon-bon-jovis-young-guns-ii-soundtrack-came-to-be/|work=MovieHole|title=How Jon Bon Jovi's Young Guns II soundtrack came to be|author=Lowery, Mike|date=January 18, 2021|accessdate=September 13, 2022}}

Filming took place in New Mexico and Arizona, mostly around the Santa Fe and Tucson areas respectively. Additional filming took place at Old Tucson Studios near Tucson.

Actor Lou Diamond Phillips suffered a severe injury during the filming of his final scene. Gunshots spooked the horse named Arrow that he was riding, resulting in Phillips being bucked off and dragged for 100 feet as his leg was caught in a stirrup. Phillips was emergency airlifted via helicopter to have surgery to repair his right arm which was broken in four places.{{Cite web |last=Tampa Bay Times Staff |first= |date=1990-03-18 |title="Young Guns' actor thrown from horse |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1990/03/18/young-guns-actor-thrown-from-horse/ |access-date=2025-04-18 |website=Tampa Bay Times |language=en-US}}

Screenwriter-producer John Fusco culled much of Billy's dialogue from actual newspaper interviews and reports between 1879 and 1881. Fusco appears as the "Branded Man" in the prison pit escape scene alongside Jon Bon Jovi. The cattle brand on Fusco's face reads J.C. for cattle rancher John Chisum.

John Chisum, played by James Coburn, in the film convinces Pat Garrett to accept a job as the new Lincoln County Sheriff. Coburn played Garrett in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973).

The historical Josiah "Doc" Scurlock lived to the age of 80 and died a respectable man in Eastland, Texas in 1929.{{Cite web |last=Boardman |first=Mark |date=May 31, 2019 |title=The Real Doc |url=https://truewestmagazine.com/doc-scurlock-2/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601005831/https://truewestmagazine.com/doc-scurlock-2/ |archive-date=2019-06-01 |access-date=2023-02-19 |website=True West Magazine}} The film's original screenplay accurately portrays Scurlock as heading to Texas with his bride. It has been reported that Kiefer Sutherland, faced with scheduling conflicts, refused to return to the Young Guns franchise unless his character died in the movie's Stinking Springs shoot-out. Writer John Fusco fought against this demand, but ultimately rewrote the scene to accommodate Sutherland's schedule.

Similarly, José Chavez y Chavez's death in the movie is an inaccurate portrayal. The real Chavez y Chavez lived to be an old man and died at the age of 72 in 1924. In both Young Guns and Young Guns II, he fights mainly with knives, but historical records show that he was as skilled a gunman as the others.{{Cite web |last=Hurst |first=James W. |title=José Chavez y Chavez |url=https://www.desertusa.com/desert-people/chavez.html |website=DesertUSA}}See also Lou Diamond Phillips audio commentary on Young Guns DVD

Although Tom O'Folliard was shot by Pat Garrett, he was not from Pennsylvania, and nor was he a young boy. He was played by a 14-year-old Balthazar Getty in the film, but in real life he was 20–21 years old when he died.{{Cite web |title=6. Tom "Big Foot" O'Folliard (1858-1880) – I am New Mexico |url=https://iamnm.com/tom-big-foot-ofolliard-1858-1880/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120201153/https://iamnm.com/tom-big-foot-ofolliard-1858-1880/ |archive-date=2022-01-20}}

Emilio Estevez originally approached Jon Bon Jovi to ask him for permission to include the song "Wanted Dead or Alive" on the soundtrack.{{cite magazine|date=July 16, 1990 |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20118248,00.html |title=Jon Bon Jovi's Solo Debut with his band members Leads Him to the Brink of An Abyss |magazine=People |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090206045226/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20118248,00.html |archive-date=2009-02-06 |volume=34 |issue=2}} Bon Jovi didn't feel the song's lyrics were appropriate; however, he was inspired by the project and resolved to write a new song for the film that would be more in keeping with the period and setting. He quickly wrote the song "Blaze of Glory", and performed it on acoustic guitar in the Utah desert for Estevez and John Fusco.

"Blaze of Glory" went on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.{{cite web|url = http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jon-bon-jovi-p3735/charts-awards/billboard-singles|title = Allmusic (Jon Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard singles|website = AllMusic}} Jon Bon Jovi named his debut solo album Blaze of Glory, released as Young Guns II: Blaze Of Glory in the UK,[http://www.soundtrackcollector.com/catalog/soundtrackdetail.php?movieid=6344 Blaze of Glory soundtrack details] Soundtrackcollector.com which included the eponymous single as well as other songs from and inspired by the film.

The album peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200{{cite web|url = {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3735|pure_url=yes}}|title = Allmusic (Jon Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard albums}} and No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/|title=The Official Charts Company – Jon Bon Jovi|website=Official Charts}}

Jon Bon Jovi made a cameo appearance in the film, as one of the prisoners in the pit with Doc and Chavez (he can be seen 28 minutes and 8 seconds into the movie).

The film's original score was composed and conducted by Alan Silvestri,[http://www.alan-silvestri.com/main.html?/discography/discography.html Alan Silvestri discography] Alan-silvestri.com who provided string arrangements for the song "Santa Fe" and has one brief track on Blaze Of Glory. In September 2011 Intrada Records issued Silvestri's score on its own CD.

1. Scars (5:10)
2. Small Hands (3:04)
3. Lynch Mob (4:11)
4. Finish the Game (2:50)
5. Yoo Hoo (2:43)
6. Devil's Deal (1:26)
7. More Than Hello (2:34)
8. Tom Sees the Light (1:30)
9. Coy Dog (2:38)
10. Ride to Guano City (1:09) ("Guano City" on Blaze of Glory)
11. Battle (2:46)
12. Little Tom Dies (6:49)
13. Garrett's Place (1:10)
14. Chavez's Wound (3:01)
15. You Gonna Shoot? (3:33)
16. Stolen Horse (Finale) (1:18)

In July 2018, Rusted Wave released a limited edition of 1000 double LP vinyl pressing of Alan Silvertri's score cut at 45 RPM.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rustedwave.com/product/pre-order-young-guns-ii-original-motion-picture-score-2-lps|title = Young Guns II - Original Motion Picture Score (2 LPS)}}

Young Guns II opened on August 1, 1990, in the United States in 1,770 theaters, accumulating $8,017,438 over its opening weekend. It finished third for the weekend, behind Ghost (in its fourth week), and Presumed Innocent (in its second week).{{cite news|title= Weekend Box Office |work= The Los Angeles Times|date=1990-08-07|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-07-ca-53-story.html|access-date=2011-01-13}} The film grossed $44,143,410 in the United States and Canada.{{cite web | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=youngguns2.htm | title=Young Guns II (1990) | publisher=Box Office Mojo | access-date=2007-05-05 }} Internationally it grossed $15 million for a worldwide total of $59 million. The film was also successful on video rental.{{cite news|title= VIDEO RENTALS : 'Young Guns' Not Firing Blanks|work= Los Angeles Times|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-07-ca-784-story.html|access-date=2012-06-05}}

Young Guns II received mostly negative reviews.{{cite news|title= Review/Film;Emilio Estevez in Reprise of Billy the Kid Role|work= The New York Times|date= August 1990|url= http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C0CEEDA163CF932A3575BC0A966958260|access-date=2012-06-05|last1= Maslin|first1= Janet}}{{cite magazine|title= Young Guns II|magazine= Entertainment Weekly|url= https://ew.com/article/1990/08/10/young-guns-ii/ |access-date=2012-06-05}}{{cite news|title= MOVIE REVIEW : 'Young Guns II' Has the Fire but Lacks Depth|work= Los Angeles Times|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-08-01-ca-1353-story.html|access-date=2012-06-05}} On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received a 31% approval rating by critics based on 26 reviews.{{cite web | url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/young_guns_2/ | title=Young Guns II | publisher=Rotten Tomatoes | access-date=2023-12-17 }} Metacritic gave the film a score of 47 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".{{Cite web |title=Young Guns II Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/young-guns-ii |access-date=September 7, 2022 |website=Metacritic |publisher=CBS Interactive}} Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-09-07 |website=CinemaScore }}

The Los Angeles Times said: “Full of sound, gunfire, fury and scorchingly beautiful landscapes, Young Guns II generates more sheer visual excitement than any Western since Peckinpah and Leone were in their last '70s prime." Roger Ebert, who gave Young Guns II two stars out of four, stated that "the screenplay feels unfinished, the direction is ambling, but the performances are interesting."{{cite news | last=Ebert |first=Roger | url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/young-guns-ii-1990 | title=Young Guns II | work=RogerEbert.com |publisher=Chicago Sun-Times | date=1990-08-01 | access-date=2007-05-05 }} Chris Hicks from Deseret News gave the film two out of four stars, stating that Young Guns II was "sumptuously shot, very well-acted and full of potential."{{cite news|url= https://www.deseret.com/1990/8/5/20089040/film-review-young-guns-ii |title=Young Guns II review |date=1990-08-04 |last=Hicks |first=Chris |newspaper=Deseret News |access-date=2023-02-19}}

Soon after the release of Young Guns II, there were rumors of a possible Young Guns III in the early 1990s, which would have potentially resolved the Billy the Kid/Brushy Bill theories, with Estevez reprising his role. Though at that time, nothing ever came of it and a third Young Guns film never materialized. However, in January 2021, plans of a sequel were teased by screenwriter John Fusco who shared a mock poster for a film titled Young Guns III: Alias Billy the Kid, likely as way to continue the story of Billy the Kid.{{cite web|last=Offurum|first=E.J.|title=Young Guns 3 With Emilio Estevez Teased By Writer|url=https://screenrant.com/young-guns-3-emilio-estevez-john-fusco-teaser/|work=Screen Rant|date=January 17, 2021|access-date=June 13, 2021}} In March, Estevez told Collider people were interested in seeing him play the character again and that a third film is "definitely in the works."{{cite web|last=Reiman|first=Tom|title='Young Guns 3': Emilio Estevez Says Sequel Is "Definitely in the Works"|url=https://collider.com/young-guns-3-emilio-estevez/|work=Collider|date=March 12, 2021|access-date=June 13, 2021}}

In September 2021, more information came out about the sequel, including that Lou Diamond Phillips and Christian Slater would return to the franchise.{{Cite web |date=September 8, 2021 |title=Guns 3: Alias Billy the Kid - What We Know So Far |url=https://www.looper.com/598520/guns-3-alias-billy-the-kid-release-date-cast-plot/ |website=Looper}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13917358/|title = Young Guns 3: Alias Billy the Kid|website = IMDb}} In 2023, Phillips gave an update that the project was being affected by right issues, though Estevez believed that the film could still happen in the future.

In March 2025, Estevez announced that the film, tentatively titled Young Guns III: Dead or Alive, will begin production in New Mexico in the fall with him producing and directing and Fusco writing and co-producing. It is unknown if the film will be released theatrically or exclusively on a streaming service.

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Category:1990 films

Category:1990 action films

Category:American Western (genre) films

Category:Biographical films about Billy the Kid

Category:Cultural depictions of Pat Garrett

Category:Biographical films about criminals

Category:American buddy action films

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Category:Films set in New Mexico

Category:Films shot in New Mexico

Category:Films shot in Arizona

Category:Films set in 1879

Category:Films set in 1880

Category:Films set in 1881

Category:Films set in 1950

Category:Films directed by Geoff Murphy

Category:Films scored by Alan Silvestri

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Category:20th Century Fox films

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Category:1990s English-language films

Category:1990s American films

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